Not another cold call??
I had yet ANOTHER conversation with a cold caller last week – here’s how it went:
Me: Hi!
Caller: Hi, is that Andre?
Me: Yes, how can I help?
Caller: Great, I would like to tell you about our product. It’s XYZ and our services are ABC, blah blah blah ….
Me: Just a moment, before you go any further, can I ask – do you know what it is that Genasys does and how your services and product could help our business?
Caller: To be honest, no, but I see you are in the financial services industry.
Me: Thank you for your honesty, but if you don’t know what Genasys does and so cannot tell me how your product or services will help us, it’s unlikely that I will buy anything from you so you are wasting both your and my time.
Caller: Oh, I am sorry, thanks for your time.
Now this is usually where the conversation ends but rather than hang up, I thought I would try a new approach.
Me: Hang ten, I tell you what – take a few days, read up on us, check out our LinkedIn and website, and give me call back if you still think that you can help our business. If you promise to do that, I promise to set 30 minutes aside to hear your full pitch and give you a considered answer.
Caller: Great, thank you.
The salesperson called back a few days later, presented their product and services in context to our business and it became obvious that it would add value. They knocked it out the park and made the sale.
Lesson learned:
I’m sure the immediate reaction amongst many of you reading this post is that the clear lesson was for the salesperson – research your target before making the call. But no, the lesson was not for them, nor was it about feature bashing or qualification of clients.
It was for me. I learned something. If I had ended the call, as I most often do, neither the salesperson nor I would have benefited from the rich second engagement. They would not have made the sale and Genasys would not be benefiting from their product and services. Giving people your time and a second chance shouldn’t be underrated.
I hope they grew as a salesperson from the experience as it certainly and helped me grow as a person.
Helping grow customer's revenue through enhancing their customer's experiences. I spend significant time with potential partners (clients) to tailor optimal solutions to meet their strategic objectives.
4 年Andre well done, I love this - clearly your open mindset and empathy has made this world just a little bit better and added huge value in someone’s life. I remember the cold calling days; it’s a tough gig so well done.
I help insurers and MGA's increase their underwriting profitability leveraging proven technology.
4 年Good point and well made Andre! I too have had similar challenges. There is a fine balance between helping others and focusing on the day job.
Enabling organisational competence, confidence, and commitment; optimising performance, resilience, and self-sufficiency. Advanced behavioural modelling solutions that unlock individual and team performance.
4 年Great share Andre Symes and very generous of you to give a further chance, that paid off your them and you. Was there anything you’re aware of in the moment that impacted your sense to try something new and give them a second chance, or was it purely spontaneous?
Taking some time for Rehab, Insurtech, Credit Hire and Fraud consulting (often all at the same time!)
4 年Love this. Might try it myself.
General Manager at Pride Resort and conferencing
4 年The sad reality is most companies that employ the whole cold calling thing are not driven by "research your client" they are driven by 2 metrics 1. How many calls did you make or 2. did you stay on the phone the required 35 seconds to say you tried. Very little of their KPI metrics are based around researching the client, and qualifying that client for their product they would like to pitch. Also using the pre-generated, I've heard it a million times before script and conflict handling that every company uses - its old hat. Its been old for the last 10 years. But its easy to "quality control" in the post call QA session. Hopefully this article will open up the eyes of both company, agent and prospective client, to instead of following old habits (hat seldom pay off) try something new, use your training and tools at your disposal, and make a Valid Connect and sale!